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Reem Kassis

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Reem Kassis
ريم قسيس‎
Kassis in 2017
Born1987 (age 36–37)[1]
Jerusalem
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania (BA, BSc, MBA)
London School of Economics (MSc)
Occupations
  • Author
  • writer
Years active2017–present
Notable work
  • The Palestinian Table (2017)
  • The Arabesque Table (2021)
  • We Are Palestinian (2023)
Websitereemkassis.com

Reem Kassis (Arabic: ريم قسيس; born 1987) is a Palestinian writer and author.

Her work focuses on the intersection of culture, and in particular food, with history and politics. According to The New York Times, her first book The Palestinian Table "broke open a new national conversation about both the cuisine and the appropriation of its recipes".

Early life

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Kassis was born in Beit Hanina, East Jerusalem, to Palestinian parents with Israeli citizenship.[1] Her father Philip is a Christian from the Galilee and her mother Nisreen is a Muslim from Jaljulya.[1][2]

Her mother and grandmothers were known locally for their cooking, but Kassis had no early interest in cooking, seeing it as part of a Palestinian culture that kept women in traditional roles.[3][2] She has no training as a chef.[4]

She left Jerusalem at 17 to attend the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned her undergraduate degrees in business and international studies under the Huntsman Program.[5] She earned her MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School in 2010 and later studied at the London School of Economics, obtaining an MSc in social psychology.[6]

Career

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Business

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Prior to her career in writing, Kassis worked as a business consultant at McKinsey & Company. She also worked with the World Economic Forum and in executive search.[7] After the birth of her daughters, she decided to leave the business world and pursue a writing career.[4][8]

Writing

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Kassis writes on issues of culinary appropriation, food history and culture.[9][10][6] According to The New York Times, Kassis's first book, The Palestinian Table, "broke open a new national conversation about both the cuisine and the appropriation of its recipes".[9] The Guardian said the book had "established Kassis as a new voice in food writing".[7]

The Palestinian Table

[edit]

Her debut cookbook, The Palestinian Table, was published in October 2017 by Phaidon Press. The volume moves beyond recipes, using anecdotes and food history to explore Palestinian culture and preserve traditional Palestinian dishes.[3] Journalist Jehan Alfarra called out Kassis' anecdotes for providing "valuable cultural insight as well as specifics about how the local dishes are prepared and served".[11] The book contains 150 recipes.[12][13] Photography was shot in Jerusalem.[2]

Multiple outlets, including NPR, New York Magazine, The Independent, and Saveur, named the book to their best-of lists for 2017.[14] A journalist in the Institute for Palestinian Studies recommended the book for newcomers, calling Kassis “a humble guide who doesn’t dazzle with intimidating recipes”.[3] Tanuahka Marah, the reviewer for the Morning Star, described the photography as “stunning”.[15] Anthony Bourdain called it an "essential book".[5][16][4]

The Palestinian Table was short-listed for the Andre Simon Food and Drink Book Awards,[17] the Edward Stanford Travel Writing Awards,[18] and was a winner in the Eugenie Brazier awards in Lyon.[19] It won the First Book award by the Guild of Food Writers[20] and was nominated for the James Beard Foundation Award in the International category.[21]

The book has been translated into German and French.[1]

The Arabesque Table

[edit]

The Arabesque Table was published in 2021 by Phaidon Press. The volume takes a much broader look at contemporary cooking from across the Arab world, tracing the evolving and cross cultural food of the region and showcasing the impact of Arab food on global cooking today.[22] Multiple outlets, including The New York Times, Eater, Food & Wine, and CNN, listed it as one of the best cookbooks of 2021.[23] Yotam Ottolenghi said, "The Arabesque Table sees food, recipes and stories as part of the on-going conversation (and feast!) between cultures and their cuisines. It sees food, stories and the identities these things are linked to as fluid, receptive; not as static or fixed in one time or place."[24]

We Are Palestinian

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We Are Palestinian was published in 2023 by Interlink Books. It is an exploration for younger readers of the culture and history of Palestinian people.[25][26]

Selected works

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Books

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  • The Palestinian Table (Phaidon, 2017), ISBN 978-0714874968
  • The Arabesque Table (Phaidon, 2021), ISBN 978-1838662516
  • We are Palestinian (Bonnier Books, 2023), ISBN 978-1800783287

Newspaper articles

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  • Here’s why Palestinians object to the term ‘Israeli food’: It erases us from history, The Washington Post (2020)[10]
  • Why we cook when the world doesn't make sense, The Los Angeles Times (2020)[10]

Personal life

[edit]

Kassis is married to Albert (Aboud) Muaddi.[1] They lived in London and then moved to Philadelphia.

During an 2022 interview with American journalist Terry Gross, Kassis described her life as a Palestinian with Israeli citizenship as being that of a "second class citizen", citing being singled out for interrogated and strip search during a work trip despite holding an Israeli passport, and the inequity of state provided services in Arab neighbourhoods. "So on paper, the rights are equal, you’re an Israeli citizen, the only difference is you don’t serve in the military. In reality, it wasn’t the case." [27]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Vered, Ronit. "How Reem Kassis Became the International Face of Palestinian Cuisine". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 23 February 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "Food Without Borders | Episode 44: The Palestinian Table with Reem Kassis". Heritage Radio Network. 10 October 2018. Archived from the original on 21 October 2023. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Bouarrouj, Khelil (5 January 2018). "Book Review: 'The Palestinian Table', by Reem Kassis". Palestine Square. Institute for Palestine Studies. Archived from the original on 16 November 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Lewin, Lyrin (13 August 2018). "Cookbook retells Palestinian narrative through food". CNN. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  5. ^ a b Richards, Carl (21 November 2017). "A Story of a Big Dream and a Single, Small Step". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  6. ^ a b Gross, Terry (7 April 2021). "For This Palestinian Cook, The Kitchen Is A 'Powerful Place' — Not A 'Life Sentence'". NPR.
  7. ^ a b O'Neill, Holly (21 February 2021). "Reem Kassis: how I brought my Palestinian heritage to the table". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  8. ^ Atallah, Hadeel (2 November 2019). "The Palestinian Table is a book that extracted a pearl from an oyster". aawsat.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  9. ^ a b Severson, Kim (3 November 2023). "Among American Chefs, the Israel-Hamas War Has Spread to Food". The New York Times.
  10. ^ a b c "Reem Kassis - Writer, storyteller, preserver of culture and cuisine". Arab American Institute. 7 April 2021. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  11. ^ Alfarra, Jehan. "The Palestinian Table". Palestine Book Awards. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  12. ^ Gallafent, Alex (28 November 2017). "'The Palestinian Table' is as much a memoir as a cookbook". Public Radio International. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  13. ^ Brehaut, Laura (24 November 2017). "Beyond conflict: Palestinian Reem Kassis paints a holistic picture of culture through food". National Post. Archived from the original on 8 October 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  14. ^ Sources for best-of lists for TPT are:
  15. ^ Marah, Tanuahka (19 February 2018). "Palestinian pleasures brought to the table". Morning Star. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  16. ^ Kassis, Reem (23 October 2017). Editorial Reviews. Phaidon Press. ISBN 978-0714874968.
  17. ^ Onwuemezi, Natasha (14 December 2017). "André Simon Food & Drink Book Awards shortlist revealed". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  18. ^ Onwuemezi, Natasha (10 January 2018). "Edward Stanford award shortlists reveal 'broad scope' of travel writing". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 14 February 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  19. ^ "Les Recettes d'une connasse*: Grand Prix Eugénie Brazier!". LYON SAVEURS (in French). 21 December 2017. Archived from the original on 23 April 2024. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
  20. ^ "The Palestinian Table wins coveted First Book Award". Phaidon Press. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
  21. ^ "The James Beard Foundation Announces Its 2018 Award Nominees". Food & Wine. 14 March 2018. Archived from the original on 15 March 2018.
  22. ^ LaBan, Craig (26 March 2021). "Palestinian author Reem Kassis explores Arab culture in new cookbook". inquirer.com. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  23. ^ Sources for best-of for TAT are:
  24. ^ Kassis, Reem (2021). Editorial Reviews. Phaidon. ISBN 978-1838662516.
  25. ^ We Are Palestinian. Kirkus Reviews. 2023.
  26. ^ Wadi, Ramona (22 August 2024). "We Are Palestinian: A Celebration of Culture and Tradition". Middle East Monitor.
  27. ^ BushTelegraph, Workers (28 October 2022). "Who stole the Bagel from the Palestinian table?". Workers BushTelegraph. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
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